Pages

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The ministry of prayer often teaches me as much as it helps
the person I am praying for. This was the case as I prayed for a lady who I
knew was coming into see me.

When I pray, God often gives me a picture of something,
which can help the person, I am praying for. When I closed my eyes for this
particular lady, I began to see an enlarged knob and keyhole on a huge wood
door. The keyhole was large enough so that I could see there was a beautiful country on
the other side of the door. I felt a peace as well as an excitement while I
looked around to see as much as I could see. Then, I could see the lady I was
praying for looking through the keyhole and admiring the land as well. Then the
vision in my mind’s eye ended.

I was not sure what it all meant so I asked the Holy Spirit
to give me some understanding of what I was to say. Moments later, I spoke out
these words without even thinking about it.

The key is in the
character.

I let the phrase roll over in my mind a few times before the
revelation of what the Holy Spirit was saying came forth.

God often shows us a part of where He is planning on taking
us by giving us dreams, visions, words of knowledge or prophecy or through
other avenues in our daily lives.We get excited and sometimes consumed with the future plan. However, God will not open the door to the
“promised land” until we gain the character skills to stay firmly planted when we get there.

So many times when the wait is long, we want to whine and plead our way
into where we knew God wanted to place us. But God will not let us “jimmy the
lock” open prematurely. Why? He loves us too much. He knows, if He allows us
into the land too early, He would be setting us up for failure. Although every
pathway has its challenges, God doesn’t intentionally send someone into a new situation
knowing they do not have the character skills to accomplish what He is asking
them to accomplish. We may try to send ourselves in disobedience but God will not send
us unprepared.

So, if the key is the character, then where do we find the
traits needed to advance to the next level? We can start with the fruit of the
spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.
Love-joy-peace-patience-kindness-goodness-faithfulness-gentleness-self_control.
As we grow in Christ our understanding of each of these grows. As we put our
understanding of each of these fruits into practice, then the Holy Spirit will reveal
more and more to us. The more we develop our fruits/character the more usable
we become and the more we can glorify the One we serve.

Are you ready to enter your promised land or are you still
going around in stubborn circles? There are no shortcuts with God. Only the
real thing will do. Ask Him what you are lacking and get ready to insert your
key of character. God is more then ready to help you with opening your door.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Crosses. I have a collection of them
on my wall. And yet, if I had to choose one cross to focus on in my life, what
would it be? Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23 NIV). So…what
was the cross I was suppose to bare, Jesus?

In the next several days, I was
reading in Marlene Bagnell’s book Write
His Answers, when I came across this statement.

“Write out of your life experiences,” I felt the
Lord say to me. “Make yourself transparent and vulnerable so others can see
what I have done, and am doing, in your life.”

God’s declaration to Marlene seemed to
capture my spirit. As I read it two or three more times, I allowed its
significance to sink into my heart. Then the Lord spoke to me personally and
said:

Take up your cross and follow Me.

“Ok Lord,” was my reply

Then He came back again and said:

Take up your cross ‘pen’ and follow Me.

The instructions about what my cross
was supposed to be became crystal clear.
Now, I had to make a choice. He was asking me to open up
my walk with Him along with myself for others to see. Was I willing? Yes…even
after considering the cost…I was ready to take up my cross pen to follow Him.

What does it really mean to take up a
cross and follow Jesus? A cross is like an assignment God gives to a believer
to do while he/she is here on the earth. Jesus’ cross was to die for the sins
of the world and make salvation available to whosoever chose to believe in Him and what
He has done. All our crosses work together towards proclaiming Jesus's salvation message
until He returns again.

Are you looking for what your cross for Christ is? Let me suggest a few thoughts to help you ponder what you cross
might be.

What or where is your passion? This
may be a no brainer for some but check to make sure there are no emerging
passions that are not fully developed yet.

What has God consistently guided you
towards by the power of the Holy Spirit? It may be something you have been resistant
to do none the less God keeps encouraging you to head towards that direction.

If you do not have to totally depend
of Jesus to carry your cross, is it really the cross He wants you to carry? Your cross will never be about what you can do for Christ but what He wants to do through
you by the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.

You may have a cross that will last for
a lifetime or you may be one that has a cross for a season and then it changes
with the onset of a new season. Every cross requires your all. Suffering
is apart of everyone’s cross carrying journey. However, whatever your suffering ends up being, the result of persistence through it all will result in a new level of maturity you had not thought possible.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Welcome to "Friday Friends," guest blogger, Kimberly Rae, who has written a wonderful story about how she displayed the love of Christ to a young boy in Bangladesh.

Milo wears little brown
shorts that do not button. A necklace made of thread is his only other
clothing. His feet are so tiny. One has a piece of material tied around it and
he is limping.

I ask to see his foot. The
Bangladeshi mother does not understand my question, but she sees my hand
motions and unwraps the dirty cloth around his foot, explaining in Bengali all
the while. From her gestures I guess that he had stepped on a sharp object. His
foot does not look good.

I leave Milo and his mother
and head home, grab my scarcely used first-aid kit, then return to my new
little friend.

It does not take long for me
to realize that my mission is futile. Either the sore had scabbed over, or so
much dirt has crusted in it that I cannot get it off. I try an antibacterial
wipe, then an alcohol wipe. Since neither even erase the dirt marks on the
surface of his foot, I know nothing I do will get to the actual sore to help.

The rest is rather pointless.
I apply antibiotic cream, but for no purpose since the sore is still covered,
then the gauze goes on and I tape it securely to his foot. I have been talking
the whole time for Milo’s sake, but all in English. Finally I say “shesh”---
Bengali for “finished,” and heard it ripple through the crowd.

The smiling mother picks up
Milo, while I also stand. I am shocked to see people around us in every
direction.

I say goodbye---see you
again---to Milo and his mother, and walk to the ever-present rickshaw. The
rickshaw driver is smiling at me. I hope he knows it is Christ’s love I want to
show.

Have I done anything
worthwhile? Not really. None of the first-aid I did will make any difference.
The again, perhaps other things are accomplished this day, things that were not
my goal, but that held more worth than my goal.

In such a place, where class
and status matter, I reached down and touched a little boy who had perhaps
never received any special attention in his entire life. I had touched his
foot, in a land where the foot is unclean and many would be mortified to touch
another person’s foot. I had smiled and tried to help, and in a country where
most think that all Americans and Christians, perhaps my doing so had
represented Christ in some small way.

On my rickshaw ride home, I
pray that God will heal little Milo’s foot. And I pray that someday, when
someone tells them of Jesus in their own language, they will think of this
small act of kindness, ad be willing to listen. I pray they saw His love in me.

Whose foot has God asked you to
touch today?

Kimberly Rae lived in Bangladesh, Uganda, Kosovo and Indonesia before health problems brought her back to the US permanently. She now writes from North Carolina, where she lives with her husband and two young children. Rae's Christian suspense/romance novel on international human trafficking, Stolen Woman (Kindle version), hit the Amazon Bestseller list in 2011. Find out more at www.stolenwoman.org, or read about Kimberly's real-life adventures on her blog, www.stolenwoman.blogspot.com!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Hearing the words “You’ve got
cancer,” are devastating. Walls seem to come crashing down around you, as you begin
to realize you must mount up to face the fight. It looks as if faith flees momentarily,
but like a magnet comes back the moment you turn to stand.

These were my thoughts as I
sat in a chemotherapy waiting room this past week. My daughter-in-law, Leslie
and I had driven Tom, her step-dad, to his monthly doctor’s appointment. This
time, Tom was there for a check-up before his chemo treatment the next week; however,
this fight started long before this visit.

Tom has been battling brain
cancer for the past 10 months. It took six weeks, and numerous theories before
the doctors could diagnose Tom’s problem correctly. Tom’s type of cancer is very
rare, and little is known, so the doctors felt compelled to give him
chemotherapy as a precautionary measure. Tom is one of three in the world that
has ever had this type of cancer and the only one who has had it to start in
the brain first. It usually manifests itself in other areas of the body first.
Thus, explaining why the doctors felt the need for further treatment.

Within the next several weeks
of the diagnosis, God miraculously healed Tom of the brain cancer. The two
heart-shaped tumors were on the x-ray, and then they were gone. The doctor’s
couldn’t explain the disappearance, but they couldn’t deny it either. Tom and his wife Nancy had gone through days
of not knowing what challenges were coming up next, how are they going to pay
for the expensive treatments and, of course, just the exhaustion of dealing
with an illness like this. Even though God healed Tom of the brain cancer
itself, it has still been a fight to make sure the illness is totally defeated.
Tom and Nancy have remained strong through the whole process. They have thanked
God for the miraculous healing He has given them and they have thank God for
the strength to finish this final leg of their journey. Tom and Nancy have
become stronger, wiser, and even more convinced of God’s loving care as they
have sought Him in every aspect along the way.

I am thankful for Tom and
Nancy’s Godly witness and perseverance in their most recent challenging experience.
It helps me know that I can expect God to be there for me when I go through my
difficult times. The journey may not be as easy as I would like, but God can
redeem any circumstance for my good and His glory, when I seek Him with my
whole heart.

How are you handling your
overwhelming challenges? Are you running away from God in anger and disappointment,
or are you running to Him for His strength and wisdom? Choose to let God into
all your circumstances and He will become more then enough for your every need.

As I watch the
fireworks display their glory, I will be remembering they also symbolize

the lights
and sounds of battle. I will be thanking those who have walked the battlefields
in the past

and praying for those who continue to walk the lines today.

I will be praying we
as a nation can pull ourselves together and regain our Christian edge and
focus.

I will be praying we
would return with vigor to our founding motto “One nation under God” instead of
the motto “Whatever” which we seem to have adopted today.

I will be praying our
nation will once again become the godly example and spring board for other
nations to be able to find their faith and freedom in the only One who truly
has it to give.

I will be praying the
body of Christ can once again see the importance and power of prayer in
fighting the good fight of faith. Prayer is not the last resort but the first
line of defense. It is where our wisdom is established and our courage is
maintained.

What is your part in
helping this nation fulfill its destiny? America cannot accomplish her purpose
without each of us doing our part.

About Me

Mary Jane Downs is an author, speaker and teacher who lives in the foothills of the Asheville Mountains. She loves long walks with her camera in hand, reading, hand quilting, and cooking for friends. Mary Jane has been published in Awe Magazine, Inspiredmoms.com, as well as a guest blogger. Mary Jane has found her writing and love of quilting to work well together. Quilting gives her time to think and gain insight for story ideas and writing helps her to express those ideas and thoughts to others.